New Joker 2 Teaser Claims "He's Not Sick, He's Perfect"

The latest Joker 2 teaser features Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn telling the world that her man is "perfect."

By Kofi Outlaw

"He's not sick! He's perfect." That's the line Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn has for reporters – and the world – in the latest teaser for Joker: Folie á Deux. Warner Bros. and director Todd Phillips are certainly bringing things back to arthouse vibes with this latest trailer for Joker 2, as the film nears its official premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival this week (at the time of writing this). 

The latest spot for Joker: Folie á Deux is a like a ticking time bomb of quick-cut footage, featuring Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck fighting the voices in his head while being transferred in a police van – only those "voices" become actual voiceovers of dialogue from characters from both the original film and the sequel, all claiming that Arthur is "sick," "delusional," "a very disturbed individual," and a "monster."

The only voice that speaks up for Arthur is that of Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn (Gaga), who is seen in a swarm of reporters (in what looks to be the courthouse during Fleck's trial) telling a woman (a newscaster?) that Arthur is "not sick! He's perfect. He's Joker." The footage ends with Arthur back in the police van suddenly calm and straightfaced again after his manic laughing fit. 

As stated, this latest Joker 2 TV spot feels much more in the arthouse prestige picture lane that this film series is now infamous for swerving into. It once again paints this take on Batman's archnemesis as a slow-burn descent into madness character piece; this time, the mad descent will be a whirlpool that sucks down others besides Arthur Fleck – be it "Lee" Quinzel (Gaga), the policeman and inmates at Arkham State Hospital, or the powers that be in the courtroom. If the first film is about how one individual can fall to the bottom of the social/emotional ladder and become radicalized, the sequel seems interested in exploring how that radicalized person also infects the entire society around them. The socio-political parallels seem clear, but will they work to Joker 2's advantage or split audiences during a highly divisive year?

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Joker: Folie a Deux is directed by Phillips, from a script by Phillips and Scott Silver. In addition to Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, the film also stars Zazie Beetz (reprising her role from the first film), Catherine Keener (as Arthur's defense lawyer Maryanne Stewart), Harry Lawtey (as Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent) and Steve Coogan (as TV show host Paddy Meyers) Brendon Gleeson, and Jacob Lofland in undisclosed roles.

Joker: Folie a Deux opens in theaters on October 4th.

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